Broiler chickens © ASG-WUR
@start-1@Between 10% and 30% of the birds in European broiler flocks may suffer from painful leg disorders caused by bone and joint infections as well as skeletal abnormalities, both of which are a result of a fast growth rate during the first few weeks of life. Our research has shown that lameness in broilers can be reduced by slowing down the speed at which they grow during their first few weeks, and speeding it up once their bones have developed. By using a new combination of diets and a sequential feeding method, the researchers discovered that they could slow down growth during a chick’s early stages without any reduction in final carcass weight. The researchers recommend a 48-hour feeding cycle with two diets instead of the traditional continuous distribution of a single diet. For the first seven days of life, broiler chicks should be fed a standard starter diet. Then, from day 8 to day 28 the birds should be fed a low energy-high protein diet (E-P+) on the first day and a high energy-low protein diet (E+P-) on the second day.@end-1@ @start-2@During this period the two diets should rotate every 48 hours. That makes for a total of 10 cycles of E-P+, E+P-.  The birds should then be given a standard finishing diet from day 29 onwards.
In short, this novel regime not only reduced instances of lameness but also brought the broilers up to standard slaughter weight without the need any additional feeding days. The researchers are still analyzing the exact price differences between the broiler standard diet and the sequential diet, but initial results suggest that the sequential diet was never more expensive than the standard diet. This sequential feeding method could improve the birds’ welfare by reducing lameness at no extra cost while safeguarding the farmers’ profits at the same time. More information: popular fact sheet in 5 languages, Dr Christine Leterrier, leterrie@tours.inra.fr, Dr Xavier Manteca, xavier.manteca@uab.es @end-2@